Picture the scenario – you reach your busiest time of the year, you need extra staff … fast! That’s when a call to a reputable recruitment agency is needed.

It doesn’t matter what your business is, there will be times when you just need an extra pair of hands. Using temporary staff could be the ideal solution for you. There’s no long-term commitment involved and you can get the extra help you need quickly.

Why use temporary staff instead of employing staff on a contract?

If you’re not sure what the difference is, the term ‘temp’ refers to someone that you employ via a recruitment agency. They will work for you on short assignments which can range from one day to several months. They are paid by the agency and your contract is with the agency rather than the employee.

If you employ someone directly their contract will be with you and not an agency and you will deal with all aspects of their working life. Typically they will be employed for continuous or longer fixed-term contracts.

When should you use a temp?

Over the years the role of temporary staff has changed. In days gone by, they were typically employed in lower paying jobs. These days, while administrative or general labouring jobs are still the most popular temporary employment, you’ll find temps covering even the most difficult of roles.

Employing someone on a temporary basis is really useful if a permanent member of staff is ill, if you have an approaching deadline and need extra help, to cover holidays or if someone decides to leave your business at very short notice (or with none at all).

But what are the benefits?

The most obvious benefit is the flexibility – you can employ a ‘temp’ at really short notice, even if you just need someone for one day. But that’s not the only benefit, you may have some specialised work that your existing staff are not able or qualified to do. They can also help with employee morale – if your existing staff are heavily under pressure, a temp can ease the burden of high volume workload.

And if you’re impressed with how your temp performs – you might even want to take them on permanently (although you would have to negotiate with the recruitment agency you used to employ them!).

Some important considerations

It’s great to have the option of using temporary workers, but don’t forget to consider the following:

• Can you spare the time to properly train them if you need to?
• Will your finances withstand the extra costs? Especially if you’re using a temp to cover sickness/holidays.
• If the job is specialised – do they already have the necessary skills?
• If you wish to offer your temp a permanent contract, the recruitment agency may charge you a fee.

Employing temporary staff can be very useful for your business. They are used to working in a variety of environments and fitting in with existing staff very easily. Although they may only be with you for a short amount of time, their contribution will be invaluable.

If you need someone to work for you on a temporary basis, get in touch to discuss how we can help.